Alex Colome

The Rays traded away Jeremy Hellickson this offseason, leaving a gap in the rotation where Colome or Nate Karns could fill in until Matt Moore is back from his Tommy John surgery. Colome, a 6-foot-2 r...

Colome put together a solid season with Triple-A Durham, posting a 3.07 ERA while averaging 9.2 K/9 over 14 starts. He had a few successful spot starts with the Rays, but his season ended after the promotion when he was placed on the disabled list with an elbow strain. He features a big fastball with solid movement that he uses to induce groundballs and his secondary pitches are developing. Injuries have limited him to fewer than 20 starts in both of the last two seasons. The Rays are expected to have a crowded rotation again in 2014, so he could begin the season with Durham if he does not win a spot in the spring, but he could convert to the bullpen in the future.

2013

Colome missed about a month in the early part of the season with an oblique injury before returning strong for Double-A Montgomery. In 14 starts he posted an 8-3 record with a 3.48 ERA and averaged 9.0 K/9. He earned a promotion to Triple-A Durham in August, where made three starts before a shoulder injury shut him down early. He is still a very intriguing prospect for the Rays given his electric fastball paired with a solid curveball. Since he's currently a starter on a team stocked with pitching talent, he will likely be stuck at Triple-A in 2013 for the whole season, but could be used to help the Rays' bullpen in September or earlier if there are injuries on the pitching staff.

2012

Colome started the season at High-A Charlotte where he had a respectable 3.58 ERA and a 7.84 K/9IP. As should be expected, he struggled more after a promotion in late July to Double-A Montgomery. His strikeout rate dropped by more than 2.0 K/9IP while his walk rate increased by more than 1.0 BB/9IP. Colome has a sizzling fastball that can work in the upper-90s and is developing a curveball to complement the heater. He'll likely begin at Double-A Montgomery and work on his command issues with a likely mid-to-late season promotion to Durham if he continues his development. Look for him to enter the Rays pitching picture some time in 2013 given their depth.

2011

Colome fared well during a 2010 campaign spent mostly at Low-A Bowling Green. As evidenced by the strikeout rate (9.3 K/9IP), he has good stuff, but the issue to this point has been consistently controlling it. While the ceiling here is high, he's far from a finished product and it's unlikely that he'll advance past Double-A this season. Beyond that, the Rays' deep farm system will ensure that he gets the necessary time to develop. Consider him worthy of a spot in deeper keeper leagues, but Colome may not get a chance to start for the Rays until 2013.